Tribune Opinion: The future of our middle schools rests with us

JOSHUA POLSON/jpolson@greeleytribune.com
Students walk through the hallways of John Evans Middle School in Greeley Thursday afternoon. Greeley-Evans School District 6 received$8.2 million from the Best grant to help rebuild John Evans Middle School.

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You don’t have to know much about Greeley-Evans School District 6 to know that the district’s middle schools have struggled in recent years.

Frequently, when people talk about the poor reputation of Greeley’s schools, they’re really talking about their perception of the middle schools. Of course, we think many of Greeley’s schools are better than their reputation, and they don’t always get the credit they deserve. Still, a sense that the middle schools weren’t always safe, a changing demographic mix and poor test scores have contributed to the notion among many parents that District 6 isn’t the place for their children. The performance of the district’s middle schools on the state’s standardized tests — known as the Transitional Colorado Assessment Program — has gotten the attention of the state. Heath Middle School has been labeled “improvement,” John Evans is in its third year as a “turnaround” school, which means it has five years to move to “improvement” or the state can take sanctions against it, such as hiring all new staff, converting it to a charter school or closing it entirely. Franklin and Brentwood both are labeled “priority improvement,” which means they’re one step above “turnaround.”

District officials haven’t taken this lightly. This year, the district enacted a program of sweeping changes in its middle schools, which it calls “middle school reform.” To name a few of the reforms, they’ve changed the schedule, given teachers more resources and changed the way they work with students to ensure they get the instruction — and challenges — they need. It looks like this effort is working. While it’s too soon to have much hard data, there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that suggests things are changing for the better in the middle schools. That’s great news, and the teachers, staff members and students at those schools deserve a lot of credit for the effort they’ve made. However, they can’t make the schools successful on their own.

This school year, 1,420 students left District 6, many of them fleeing the middle schools. At the same time, the district took in 250 students from outside its boundaries. The neighboring school district, Windsor-Severance Re-4, which has a better reputation among some, has grown 1,368 students since 2005, while Greeley, which has five times the enrollment, has only increased by 1,608.

There are, of course, many reasons why parents send their children to a school outside their neighborhood. But what’s disturbing about the exodus from District 6 are the racial and class-based overtones.

In 2000, 290 students left the district’s schools, while 85 came in from outside. That year, white students made up 53 percent of the district’s middle school population. This school year — the year that’s seen defections from the district hit their peak — white students account for just 22 percent of the district’s middle school students. Many of those who have fled district since the turn of the century come from families with good incomes and parents who have the time and ability to do essential things like volunteer at their child’s school. When those families leave the district, that only makes it harder for the rest of us to improve our schools.

We’re glad to see the district undertake the difficult task of reforming it’s middle schools. Now it’s time for all of us to do our part. Don’t send your child to another district simply because your neighbors or friends have. Your involvement as a parent, more than any other factor, will determine the academic success of your children, no matter where they go to school. Keep your kids here. Take advantage of what the district has to offer, including incredibly rich diversity. Stay involved.

Help us create the kind of schools that draw others into this district.